[rhymes with demon]

[porcupineliz]

Liz is standing at the bar, reading a brief note over and over.

Anyone wanting to talk to her may have to put in a little extra effort to get her attention.

Comments

[porcupineliz]

"... oh god that was dumb of me." She buries her face in one hand. "I should've made it two separate things, I didn't think --"

[dr_j]

" -- you know I would have come up after you."

It's a question.

"So it's just as well you didn't."

[porcupineliz]

She looks up at him, blinking.

"... yeah." A little shaken. "Yeah, definitely just as well. I don't --"




"There was more."

[dr_j]

He's silent, waiting.

(The arm around her tightens.)

[porcupineliz]

(That means he'll be able to feel the shudder she can't quite suppress.)




"It says it likes me."

The tone in her voice is loathing.

[dr_j]

Jordie's breath catches in his throat.








"Do you think," and he doesn't even bother pretending his voice isn't shaking, "it likes you enough to -- to do -- "

[porcupineliz]

"I don't even know." She rubs her face again; she's wishing she hadn't finished the drink yet. "It says -- and believe me I do not think it's true for one bleeding second -- it says it likes me enough to let me team up with it."

[dr_j]

"Like -- making you into -- a, a -- "

[porcupineliz]

"Another demon? It can't do that." Flat, and very firm. "That's not possible."

God, Jordie has to be even more scared than she is, he doesn't know anything about this kind of thing --

[dr_j]

Losing it isn't going to help.

He makes himself take a deep breath and reach for his glass.

He makes himself drink.

Only then does he say, "We got distracted -- is jewelry going to be enough?"

[porcupineliz]

... she doesn't know if he believes the last thing she said.

Books. Matt has books; she'll borrow some.

"I think so. More's better -- it said something about the silver being one reason it wasn't going to eat me."

She makes herself say the last words without flinching.

[dr_j]

He exhales.

"Okay." Soft. "I don't -- I don't know if I'm -- if I'm any good to you. Good to whatever's going on to deal with this. I don't -- you know things, they know things, I -- all I've got are these."

He holds out his free hand, squeezes her shoulder with his other.

[porcupineliz]

She reaches out to wind her fingers through his, not trusting herself to speak for a moment.


"'S not nothing," she whispers finally.

[dr_j]

So he's staying here.

And he's probably going to die.




Oh well.

"At least you'll have medical care on call?" It's a weak effort.

[porcupineliz]

"Yeah."

She looks up into his face again, still holding his hand.

"Are you sure about this?"

[dr_j]

Jordie's smile is crooked.

"No." Quiet. "If you think I'm not going to be a liability, though... I want to be here when it's over."

He doesn't say why.

[porcupineliz]

She thinks she can guess why.

(She may be wrong.)

"I don't think you'll be a liability," she says, very quietly. "And if you want to be here, then you should be here."

[dr_j]

He nods. "Then you'll tell me if there's anything I can do?" Beat. "There's going to be a plan, right?"

[porcupineliz]

"There's going to be a plan."

Beat.

A little less firmly: "We just have to figure out what it's going to be."

[dr_j]

Jordie smiles -- involuntarily.

"It's nice to have projects." There's a faint thread of disbelieving laughter underlying his words. "And in the meantime... I've got this." The bracelet.

[porcupineliz]

"And me." Steadily. "I'm not going to let it near you."

[dr_j]

For a moment he doesn't know what to do with that.

"So I'm staying," he says, not smiling any more. "Okay. That's... that's resolved."

[porcupineliz]

"Yeah." Quieter.

She takes a breath. "Let's go find the others and see what they've got so far in the way of a plan?"

[dr_j]

"Not a lot of time to spare," he agrees, soft, and starts to inch his way out of the booth.

[porcupineliz]

Liz edges after him, standing up after he does.

And then reaches out to wrap both arms around him again, putting her face down against his shirt.